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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ August 10 , i8 82 . 
Portugal. These worms have been found to thrive upon either 
Willow or Poplar, and they are very well satisfied with the leaves 
of several fruit trees—Plum, Apple, &c. Maple or Elm are less 
acceptable. A quantity of fertile females were liberated in a 
wood near London four years ago, but a colony of worms was not 
established.—J. R. S. C. 
MYRTLES. 
Though so well known and admired, Myrtles are not so gene¬ 
rally cultivated as they should be. Sometimes they are grown as 
window plants, and they are valuable in the greenhouse and 
conservatory, and in the open air bushes are always admired. 
Here there are some good specimens in the open, several plants 
being 20 feet or more against walls, and their large branches 
project far out, as, although they are mostly grown against walls 
for shelter, they are seldom trained on the rigid wall-tree system. 
It is only in very severe winters they require any protection here, 
and in most other parts of the country I am sure the weather in 
spring, summer, and autumn would agree with them well, protec¬ 
tion only being needed in winter, and then only when the tem¬ 
perature fell below 32°. Plants which are now becoming too 
large for pots or boxes might be placed out in spring or about 
bedding-out time. Previous to planting out they would have to 
be gradually hardened, otherwise they might look sickly for a 
time. A moderately rich open soil suits them well, and when 
once they begin growing they push rapidly on, and soon cover a 
large space. In dry summer weather we often supply Myrtles out 
doors with liquid manure, but this only in the case of established 
plants. Indoors they should only be treated as cool greenhouse 
plants. 
Cuttings may be rooted freely now ; a sandy soil and a little bottom 
heat is needed to do tbis. In potting them good drainage must 
be given, and the compost for both young and old plants should 
consist of loam, a little decayed manure, and plenty of sand. Peat 
we never use in potting, as we find them do equally as well in 
loam. In making their growth they should be frequently syringed, 
as thrips and red spider are very likely to attack them, and this dis¬ 
colours the leaves and sometimes causes them to fall. Established 
plants, although grown for the greenhouse, may be placed in the 
open air for several months in the summer, when their space may 
be given up inside to softwooded plants of various kinds. 
As Myrtles when properly treated grow fast, they may be 
trained into almost any shape ; but a free-growing bush showing 
no trace of cutting or training is as pleasing as any form, but 
cutting need not be objected to if it is done with the object of 
securing choice green sprays for mixing with cut flowers, and for 
this purpose alone Myrtles are well worth cultivating. M. com¬ 
munis is the best known, and M. angustifolia, M. latifolia, M. flore- 
pleno, M. tenuifolia, and several others compose a good selection. 
—J. Muir. 
HERBACEOUS PLANTS IN FLOWER. 
Since writing my notes on the above subject (page 14) so many 
other plants have come into flower that I am again tempted to 
contribute a few notes respecting them. Many species that were 
mentioned previously are still fresh and in good condition, thus 
proving the value of a good selection of hardy plants. They are 
not only valuable for outdoor decoration, but where cut flowers 
are in great demand they are also useful and well adapted for 
cutting, and many last long in that state. 
The genus Statice may be mentioned as one of those that last 
a considerable time after being cut. There are now several 
species in flower, and amongst the most showy are Statice Limo- 
nium or Sea Lavender. The flowers vary considerably in colour, 
being light purple or white. This is a very free-flowering plant, 
and deserves to be more extensively grown. S. dahurica is a 
much dwarfer plant than the latter, not exceeding 18 inches high, 
and produces flowers of a light pink colour. It is a plant very 
suitable for near the front row of the border. S. elata is a very 
handsome species from Siberia, with bright green glabrous foliage. 
The flowers are blue, and last nearly two months in perfection. 
S. densiflora, S. occidentalis, and S. latifolia are all worth a place. 
Many of the Labiates are now at their best, although the heavy 
rains that we have experienced lately have not improved them ; 
but still there are plenty in flower, and will doubtless remain in 
perfection for some time. The dwarf free-flowering Betonica 
officinale and the variety flore-albo should certainly find a place, 
as also should B. hirsuta with its dark purple flowers. Prunella 
vulgaris should certainly be planted ; large tufts when well 
flowered are very showy. P. Webbiana is dwarfer, producing 
flower heads of great size. P. grandiflora and P. grandiflora 
v ar. laciniata are desirable plants, the foliage of the latter being 
finely cut and showing off the dark purple flow'ers to better 
advantage. Nepeta grandiflora is now flowering profusely, and 
should find a place in the second or third row in the border. It 
grows about 3 feet high, and has very showy light purple flowers. 
N. maciantha and N. longiflora are worth consideration if suffi¬ 
cient space is at hand. 
The Sage family is now well represented. Many of the plants 
are extremely showy and well suited for the herbaceous borders. 
The genus Salvia is said to contain about four hundred species, 
being found in most temperate and tropical countries, many of 
these being strictly tropical, and numbers being not worth culti¬ 
vating except in botanic gardens. S. sylvestris attains the height 
of 4 feet, and is of bushy habit ; it is a very handsome plant 
when in flower. S. Sclarea and S. Sclarea var. bracteata are 
amongst the most showy of the hardy species, the bracts being 
the most conspicuous part. S. glutinosa is a hardy European 
species about 3 feet high ; the younger parts are clothed with 
glandular viscid hairs. S. sylvestris forms a bush between 4 and 
5 feet high ; the flower spikes average a foot long. S. Horminum 
is a very showy plant, and well suited for a position near the 
edge of the border. The flowers are inconspicuous ; the most 
showy part is the dark purple bract3 clustered at the top of the 
flower spikes. Thymus Serpyllum var. citriodorus is now one 
mass of flowers, and although common is extremely ornamental 
when in flower. 
Amongst ornamental-foliage and flowering plants combined the 
genus Acanthus deserves special mention. The leaves are armed 
with sharp spines, flowers in leafy spikes terminating the stem. 
A. spinosus has deeply cut foliage, which, with the bracts, are very 
prickly ; the flowers are purplish and white, attaining the height 
of about 3 feet. A. lucidus is well worth cultivating, and has 
bold foliage and large flower spikes. A. mollis is a similar plant 
to the two preceding, but the teeth of the plant, though acute, are 
not prickly. Of the latter there are two or three well-marked 
varieties differing from the type chiefly in the colour of the 
flowers. 
In my previous notes I mentioned two or three species of 
Veronica that were then in flower. Since then, however, other 
species have come into flower that are perhaps more ornamental. 
The species here mentioned cannot fail to give satisfaction to all 
who grow them. The pleasing bright blue spikes of flowers are 
exceedingly useful for cutting. V. longifolia is a tall variable 
plant, producing long dense terminal racemes of blue flowers. 
V. longifolia var. rosea with rose-coloured flowers, and V. longi¬ 
folia elegans has pure white flowers, the latter being remarkably 
fine. V. incana var. neglecta is a very dwarf-growing species, 
not exceeding 4 inches high, and produces upright spikes of 
flowers a foot or more long. V. virginica, or Culvers Root, attains 
the height of 4 to 5 feet ; the flowers are pure white with con¬ 
spicuous yellow anthers. V. corymbosa is a useful plant, being 
intermediate in size, growing about 18 inches high, and producing 
spikes of purple flowers a foot or more long. V. spicata is another 
variable plant; the typical species produces flower stems from 
1 to 2 feet high, and terminated by racemes of bright blue flowers. 
There are some well-marked varieties producing rose-coloured 
and white flowers. 
Pentstemons are too well known and appreciated to need much 
comment. There are three or four species, however, that may 
here be mentioned, such as P. glandulosum, which grows about 
3 feet high and produces flowers of good size. P. gentianoides is 
a very beautiful species from the higher mountains of Mexico ; it 
grows about 3 or 4 feet high, bearing long leafy panicles of bright 
violet-blue or scarlet and white flowers. The latter is very dis¬ 
tinct, the tube being much longer than in most of the other 
species. P. perfoliatum grows about 4 feet high, and bears flowers 
lilac and white. P. Digitalis is a very distinct tall-growing 
species, producing pure white flowers, contrasting favourably with 
some of the other species with more highly coloured flowers. 
The Verbascums are now finely in flower, and are very effective 
if judiciously planted in the shrubbery and herbaceous borders. 
They may be considered by some as coarse common plants, but if 
care be taken in selecting suitable positions they are by no means 
to be despised ; if planted in the shrubbery they are very effective, 
reaching 6 or 8 feet in height. V. phlomoides and V. macrum 
produce the largest and showiest flowers. There are other species 
that are not so rank-growing, and are more suitable for the herba¬ 
ceous border proper. 
One of the prettiest plants now in flower in the herbaceous 
border is Omphalodes Lucilire ; it has glaucous foliage, and the 
flowers in shape are much in the way of the Forget-me-not, but 
larger. This should have a place in every border. The Boragos 
are common, but for a variety one or two plants would'not be 
out of place. B. officinalis is the most showy ; it is indeed a very 
